Edmonds-Woodway senior swimmer Daniel Eno is capable of competing at a high level in several events, but the breaststroke has become his specialty over the past couple of years.
Eno, who joined the Snohomish StingRay Swim Team last year, has competed in the breaststroke event at the Class 3A state meet in each of the past two seasons.
“He has great body control and a natural, narrow kick that allows him to stay really tight and well-possessed in the water,” Warriors coach Nolan Welfringer said. “He’s got great shoulder and chest strength, and because of that he gets more out of his pull than other guys, and in the breaststroke a lot of the time it comes down to who’s stronger.”
Here are five things to know about Eno:
1. He’s inspired by one of his teammates. “Anton Teplouhov — we’ve known each other since we were 3 years old. His family is Russian, so we have similar backgrounds. He’s joined me on the swimming journey,” Eno said. “He’s always pushing me to be better. He’s as fast as I am in every stroke except the breast, and he’s faster than me in the butterfly. Sometimes it’s fun to go outside of my comfort zone to get faster.”
2. He’s a member of Edmonds-Woodway’s International Baccalaureate program. “It’s the equivalent of doing seven advanced-placement classes over the course of two years,” Eno said. “It also has a number of extra community-service requirements. (The program) focuses on making students more globally (aware) and aware of adversity in their communities and how to remedy it. I don’t live in the Edmonds School District, but my parents thought it was important for me to grasp the best educational opportunity available. I tested into this program, and I don’t regret it.”
3. He’d like to study health science or international business. “My science and business teachers have made a lasting impact on me and made me want to learn more about (those subjects),” Eno said.“My mom is from the Ukraine. She immigrated here when she was 20 years old. She has always wanted me to do something with a global context instead of just staying inside the box. Hopefully I can do something that allows me to interact multi-culturally and do things outside of Washington.”
4. He’s traveled to several European countries. “We have lots of family friends in Russia and the Ukraine, and my mom also has family in Germany, so my parents have always wanted to travel a lot,” Eno said. “Every few years we go to Europe to visit people and keep relationships going. I’ve been to Europe about six or seven times. One of the places that stood out to me was Iceland. It’s breathtaking. The culture there is incredible, and I love the cold weather.”
5. He likes to play Ultimate Frisbee. “I’ll meet up with some friends from middle school every once in awhile and play,” Eno said. “There’s also a rec league in Seattle that organizes pickup games, and whenever I have some spare time, I’ll go down there and play. I tried a lot of sports when I was younger — ice skating, horse riding, soccer, taekwondo — but I found that the swimming and ultimate communities encouraged me to grow the most. If I don’t swim in college, hopefully I can join an intramural program for Ultimate Frisbee.”
